(Tennis news) Gauff has able to advance to the New York Major semifinals despite a few close matches by defeating Laura Siegemund, Mirra Andreeva, 32nd seed Elise Mertens, Caroline Wozniacki, and 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko.
She quickly built a 5-1 lead in the first set against tenth seed Karolina Muchova in this match. By saving a set point, the Czech cut the deficit to 5-4. Ultimately, Gauff won the set 6-4 to take the lead in the contest. Muchova saved five games in a closely contested second set before the American took it 7-5 and secured a spot in the US Open championship match.
The second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the semifinals of the New York Major by defeating Maryna Zanevska, Jodie Burrage, Clara Burel, Daria Kasatkina, and Qinwen Zheng in straight sets.
She struggled mightily in this matchup against Madison Keys, the 17th seed, as the American bashed her in the opening set. Keys served to win the match at 5-4 in the second set, which featured a few breaks. Nevertheless, Sabalenka broke her, forcing a tiebreak that she won 7-1 to send the match to a verdict.
Keys broke in the sixth game of the decisive set, and the Belarusian promptly fought back and broke. Later on, she fended off two break points and extended the set to a tiebreak, which she controlled and won 10-5 to advance to her second Grand Slam final.
Head-to-Head
3-2 is Gauff’s advantage over Sabalenka in their previous meetings. The Belarusian won 6-4, 6-0 in their most recent encounter, which took place in the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals in Indian Wells.
Predictions
Due to her consistent performance throughout the season, her decisive victory over Coco Gauff in their previous meeting, and her under pressure performance against Madison Keys, Aryna Sabalenka may have the advantage going into the match.
Gauff, however, has recently displayed a lot of poise and tenacity, and ever since Brad Gilbert joined her squad, she has been able to do her tasks. The American will want to get as many free points as she can against Sabalenka after serving 24 aces so far during the US Open.
Gauff has so far struck 150 winners while winning 162 of the 231 points she’s served first (70.1%). She did, however, make 158 unforced errors, so she will need to be cautious not to commit too many of them when playing someone like Sabalenka.
The 19-year-old has played pretty aggressively, and in addition to her serve and groundstrokes, her agility and stamina will be helpful in coping with the Belarusian ferocity.
Sabalenka’s serve is exceptionally powerful, and it has led to 32 aces for her during the US Open so far. With 160 out of 215 points won, the 25-year-old has been somewhat more effective than Gauff on her first serve. In addition, she has made 133 wins compared to 116 unforced errors, which is a pretty low number.
She has also played exceptionally well at the basket, winning 66 of 87 points (75.3%) there. The Belarusian will want to be as aggressive as she can and put Gauff under pressure right away in the encounter.
Although both players are excellent and have a high chance of winning, the winner will ultimately depend on who has a stronger mental fortitude. During her semifinal match versus Keys, Sabalenka demonstrated her perseverance under duress and delivered when it counted.
Gauff has recently demonstrated a lot of fighting spirit while facing difficult opponents, particularly when facing Iga Swiatek, and her mentality appears to be stronger. That, together with the encouragement from the audience, might just be enough for her to defeat Sabalenka and win her maiden Grand Slam championship.
Coco Gauff to win in 3 sets.
